The Beaufort

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The Beaufort is a pub/restaurant in Carlton that Hollywood heard a lot about with regards to its great fried chicken. So naturally it was next on our list for another crispy Melbourne Fried Chicken adventure.

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We arrived there and it had a fusion theme of Aussie pub meets American style bar with seafaring decorations on the wall. The fried chicken was on the specials board. We went through the menu and decided to go for an order of deep fried pickles with ranch sauce, the quinoa salad, the Out-N-Out burger (consisting of meat, cheese, mustard, ketchup, tomato, Spanish onion and shoestring fries on the side) and an order of the Southern Fried Chicken that came with a pico de gallo salad along with shoestring fries. We got a couple of cool brews to get us in the right mood.

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The deep fried pickles arrived first and were too hot to eat, so we stared at them longingly. They were crunchy and had a strong pickled taste that sat very well with us. The portion was big which was good for Hollywood. This was The Chick’s favorite of the night.

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The burger was thick juicy and cheesy. The mix of cheese, juicy meat and sauces made a very saucy experience which Hollywood really enjoyed. The Chick ate her share, but felt she’d had better, maybe just in contrast the awesomeness of the fried pickles.

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The main contender arrived next in a big basket with a huge bed of fries a bowl of pico de gallo salad and a mix of thighs and drumsticks of some crispy fried chicken. The chicken was fresh, hot and steamy. It was also very tender and had a prominent blend of spics that we really enjoyed. The coating/skin was single coated and spiced right. Hollywood is usually a fan of the double coating but found this style quite right. The only beef Hollywood had with this chicken is that there weren’t any breast/wing pieces. The accompanying salad was good and provided a contrasting fresh flavor.

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Last but not least, the quino salad accompanied with tomatoes was really great and had heaps of fresh flavors running through it and although we were really full we just couldn’t stop ourselves of completely smashing it even though we were already so full. Who knew a pub with fried foods would do fresh salads so well!

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Overall The Beaufort is a great place to be. It is low key, targeted at the University scene and just a great place to relax and enjoy some amazing food. The chicken is really really good at the Beaufort and so are many other dishes. Definitely worth a visit or two or more….

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Hollywood’s Rating: 8/10 Clucks

The Chick’s Rating: 8/10 Clucks

The Beaufort on Urbanspoon

KFC (with The Tan)

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Hollywood and the boys were out on a friday night and were talking the big talk about having another visit to the colonel to check out how he competes with the Melbourne Fried Chicken scene. After a big night of drinks in some of Melbourne’s great establishments, Hollywood and CS (The Tan) ended up at KFC and had a very greasy adventure.

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2013-11-08 21.47.35We ordered a few regular pieces and the wicked wings. The regular pieces were very greasy and the wicked wings were ok.

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2013-11-08 21.42.29Hollywood and The Tan agreed that this was a very bad experience and this is a dangerous place. There are far better options to consider. Do yourself a favor and skip this place.

Hollywood’s Rating: 3.5/10 Clucks

Le Joint

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Hollywood and the boys were celebrating the beginning of Movember and their cleanly shaven upper lips and what better way to celebrate than sinking down a few cold brews and gobbling down some good ol crispy Melbourne Fried Chicken

Le Joint was on Hollywood’s radar ever since it popped up on the webby web as a cool funky place with good burgers and chooks. Also we all had an urge to get our fortune told by the one and only Zoltar!

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We reached there and got a few Dos Blockos beers and went for 3 orders of the southern fried chicken along with one serve of chips to share.

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The chicken arrived in a portion of 3 pieces accompanied with a corn aioli dipping sauce. We struggled a bit to start as the pieces were steaming hot which was a good testimony to how fresh the chooks were. They were lightly spiced, and very tender. The drumstick was the only boned piece while the breast and thigh pieces were boneless. The skin was crispy and single coated. Overall the chicken was good with a good price to portion ratio and sat well with the Mo Bros however Hollywood found that it couldve been heavier with the spices and a bit extra greasy to his liking. The chips seemed reheated and weren’t that good.

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Le Joint is a really cool funky place to check out and the chicken there is good. Next visit we shall try their famous wagyu burger. Extra points for the famous Zoltar.

Time Out Melbourne

Hollywood’s Rating: 7/10 Clucks
Eric and CS’s Rating: 8/10 Clucks

NaruOne – The Hollywood Strike – Take 1

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It was my second day of my Sydney trip and i was determined to try another fine Sydney Fried Chicken establishment. I walked down from where i was staying to reach the underground Korean restaurant NaruOne. I had just done a long swim as was mighty hungry and all in time for some good chicken and beer.

Checking the reviews on the webby web i knew very well what i was going for. The Half/Half of original and sweet and spicy sauce fried chicken mix all accompanied with a cold Korean brewski. I was served the mountain of chooks and the challenge was on. The chicken was fried well, cut up Korean style which gave a mix of some odd pieces. The original style wasnt spiced much but was steamy hot and tasty. The sweet and spicy had a thick sauce covering the pieces. The sweet spot hit in the beginning and afterwards it was all spicy flavors. It was amazing! I ended up in a messy state of sauce and good old fried chicken but kept on going and it was all worth it. I highly recommend this for Korean style fried chicken if you’re in Sydney. (Especially since its open till 3am = extra points)

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Hollywood’s Rating: 8/10Clucks

NaruOne Korean Restaurant on Urbanspoon

Jazz City Milk Bar – The Hollywood Strike – Take 1

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Hollywood was alone in Sydney for a conference while The Chick was away in Asia. Here is his self narrated story.

I arrived in Sydney at night and was scheduled to be there for a couple of days. It was my intention to run wild with all the cluckers i could get my hands on. I was staying in the city. I checked in and ran straight to Jazz City Milk Bar to get another sweet crispy taste of Sydney’s good ol Fried Chicken before it was too late. I arrived just as the waitress was packing up the outdoor area. She saw me panting from my rush to be there. She knew i meant business. It’s fried clucks i want and she knew it damn well. I told her “ill be quick, I know what I want”. She understood my needs so she left one of the tables set up and I went for the Southern Fried Chicken burger packed with corn, Tobasco mayo and crisp lettuce with a side of creole french fries. The burger had the right blend. The 2 pieces of chicken were fried well, crunchy, and the tobasco mayo with the sweet corn gave a sweet and spicy taste.

It was good. It was damn good! Nuff said! Check out the photos:

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Hollywood’s Rating: 7/10 Clucks

Jazz City Milk Bar on Urbanspoon

Golden Fields (with The Spice Girl)

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The Spice Girl and Hollywood were looking forward to visiting Golden Fields for another Melbourne Fried Chicken adventure. Golden Fields is in St Kilda and boasts a great menu with the chicken being served on Sundays and Wednesdays only.

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We were told that the chicken is 9 pieces and comes with various dipping sauces. So we added to that order the twice cooked duck (with steamed bread, vinegar and plum sauces) and sauteed mixed greens.

The duck came out first and it was so amazing. It was crispy with the meat being so moist and falling apart. We had fun making yummy sandwiches using the bread and sauces. The sauteed mixed greens were very tasty as well.

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The fried chicken consisted mainly of wings and thigh pieces and seemed to be single coated and not spiced at all. The first couple of pieces seemed greasy but we found the treasure in golden field’s golden fried chooks being the side dipping sauces. There was a mayo, a chili sauce, and an amazing vinaigrette sauce. The chicken was OK but The main stars that managed to bring everything together were the sauces especially the vinaigrette sauce.

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We had our eyes set on desserts and went for the Peanut butter parfait, salted caramel and soft chocolate. It was just the right blend and very heavenly and quite literally “took the cake”.

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Hollywood’s Rating: 6/10 Clucks
The Spice Girl’s Rating: 7/10 Clucks

All the god points were earned by the duck and amazing dessert

Golden Fields on Urbanspoon

*Sorry about some of the bad quality photos

Rockwell and Sons Master Class

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It is a rare opportunity when one of your favorite restaurants offers to let you behind the curtain and peek inside the deep fryer. So brought our friend Robyn and we jumped at the chance to spend the evening with Casey Wall watching how the chicken is cut, brined, marinated in buttermilk, dredged and fried. The whole cooking class was arranged by our new friend The Hospitality Widow (check out her blog: http://www.thehospitalitywidow.com/)

The Chick made the mistake of coming hungry, and the buttermilk biscuits were already in the oven and the smell wafted around the restaurant, making it hard to concentrate on the lesson at hand. But Casey was compelling in the way that experts in their environment are. He deftly took a 1Kg chicken and turned it into 8 pieces destined for the fryer. He spoke of using the extra bits for stock (“never buy stock!”) and to be sure to cut the medallion of meat between the breast and the thigh (“don’t trust a butcher who doesn’t take the time to cut the medallion, if he can’t be bothered with that, how clean can his shop be?”).

We learned how to make a spicy brine: use the lemon peel, but not the juice.
We learned that buttermilk should come from the Butter Factory, not the supermarket.
We learned to add a bit of flour into the marinade for the second round: giving it that double-coated effect.
We learned that the dredging flour mix is best when it is a little “dirty” but not too much. So the first pieces will need a second dunk in the buttermilk to get the right kind of coating.

We learned that the best Fried Chicken he knows of is pan fried by an old woman in North Carolina, and you have to get there by 10:30 if you want to get some lunch. She takes her time, and that’s the idea. You can’t rush perfection.

Finally, we learned that Fried Chicken is a sometimes food, even in the South. Which is why he only prepares them on Wednesdays; to keep them special, just the way he learned growing up in North Carolina.

Hollywood and The Chick enjoyed discovering the hot sauce bottle (oddly absent from normal Wednesday servings) and devoured the biscuit, chicken and coleslaw. We even went back for seconds and The Chick was thrilled to take home the leftovers in aluminum foil. Yes, the flavors get better with a bit of time in the fridge, and while they aren’t crispy anymore, the spice comes through for a tasty lunch.

Hollywood’s Rating: 8.5/10

The Chick’s Rating: 9/10

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Rockwell and Sons on Urbanspoon

Rockwell and Sons – Round 2 (Not so nirvana)

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Hollywood and The Chick rallied the foodie troops and invaded Rockwell and Sons in hopes of witnessing Melbourne Fried Chicken nirvana. There were chefs and experts from around the world waiting to sample one of the best southern fried chicken dishes of Melbourne.

The order was pretty much the same exact order as last time which included two full orders of the golden chooks accompanied with deviled eggs, mac-n-cheese, and a side order of the brussel sprouts, beetroot salad and the ribs. The reliable broccoli with sultanas was on holiday, a well prepared cauliflower dish took its place.

We didn’t hit chicken nirvana this time. The chicken was good but not the amazesauce it was last time, maybe it was all the hype that led to our disappointment. All of us generally felt that the chicken seemed of a poorer quality and a bit more greasy. Another suggestion from our guests was it was lacking a dipping sauce (or possibly mashed potatoes) to add extra flavor. The Chick was always a fan of the spicy dipping sauces at other places.

Bottom line is this experience was not close to chicken nirvana and although the chicken was not sweet but being right certainly was for Hollywood. Our search for the best fried cluckers Melbourne has to offer continues, perhaps we’ll know more after our lesson from the Rockwell and Sons chef this week.

Hollywood’s Rating: 8/10 Clucks

The Chick’s Rating: 7/10 Clucks

The Chick’s new fancy camera takes some getting used to, so while some of these shots came out great, others were far too fuzzy to be included. Next purchase: macro lens.

So Golden...

So Golden…

KFC Style biscuit

KFC Style biscuit

Another perspective on the mountain of golden friend morsels

Another perspective on the mountain of golden friend morsels

Balanced meal

Balanced meal

Can never go wrong with mac n' cheese, especially with extra cheese on top

Can never go wrong with mac n’ cheese, especially with extra cheese on top

Crunchy slaw, not too much dressing

Crunchy slaw, not too much dressing

Brussel sprouts fried to within an inch of their lives

Brussel sprouts fried to within an inch of their lives

Sweet Ribs

Sweet Ribs

Ravaged Drumstick

Ravaged Drumstick

Rockwell and Sons on Urbanspoon

Jazz City Milk Bar – Round 2

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The Chick was up in sunny Sydney for work and Hollywood swung by to join in on some good ol Sydney fried chicken and see how it compared to our beloved Melbourne Fried Chicken.

We ended up visiting the same joint, Jazz City Milk Bar, after being informed that their Diner was closed. We had been attempting to go and experience their new BBQ grill, which was under construction last time. We missed our chance, but it was a fine excuse to enjoy the savory options at the Milk Bar.

We ordered the Texas Chilli Burger gone ultimate, southern fried chicken and waffles and The Chick’s favourite soul food; mac-n-cheese. Hollywood tried for the German Chocolate cake, then the banana cream pie, when both options were out he ended up with a chocolate pecan pie. As with all the other dishes this was packed with flavor and high fat goodness.

The service was oddly lackluster, with three waitresses standing behind the counter chatting and on the phone until we managed to catch their attention. But Jazz City delivered on the stuff that matters and it was purely amazing. Check out the photos of our revisit below (can you tell the Chick invested in a new camera?).

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The Belly of the B.East

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There was a heated argument brewing between Hollywood and The Chick about the future of the chicken scene. This began shortly after experiencing chicken nirvana at Rockwell and Sons. The Chick’s argument was that there’s no point in continuing the Melbourne Fried Chicken hunt since they found the number one golden chooks. Hollywood however thought there are many feathered adventures in their future and was determined to leave no chicken unclucked.

After lots of discussion, the Chick consented to another round, and accompanied with friend of the blog The Jasonator, head over into the belly of the B.East for their next Melbourne Fried Chicken adventure. The Chick hates being right about these things.

The place had a cool northern suburb funky bar vibe. The B.East’s big hype was their Beast burger standing huge with three burger patties and six bacon rashers with a challenge of eating it in less than 3 minutes to be inducted into their wall of fame.

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We ordered the Beast with fries, jalapeño poppers, 2 serves of southern fried chicken (as we were informed each serve consists of only 2 pieces) and a slaw salad in addition to beers and the Bloody Sunday special cocktail: Italian Bloody Mary.

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The Bloody Mary came out first and it was exotic, very cool and tasty. The best description is that it was like a liquid pizza pie, including a dusting of parmesan.

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The poppers, chicken and slaw arrived all together. The poppers were disappointing as they were a bit crunchier than expected and the cheesy and spicy flavours that you would expect weren’t prominent. The slaw was average and the chicken was the biggest disappointment of all. It was hot but seemed very greasy, flavorless, and lacked any spices. The chicken meat seemed mushy somehow and fell off the bone in a less than appetizing way. This was a total miss! Maybe Sunday nights aren’t the best for a fresh chook.

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The Beast burger was very juicy and meaty which sat well with us. The meat did seem overwhelming at certain moments but overall sat very well with Hollywood and he reckons he could definitely smash it in less than 3 minutes but that might be a different mission (without the Chick wondering at the point).

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Overall the B.east is a fun bar to go to but the chicken is definitely not a dish to be had there. This confirmed The Chick’s earlier point and although Hollywood still had high hopes for Melbourne’s clucks the “I told you so” look he copped might’ve been well deserved.
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Hollywood’s Rating: 4.5/10 Clucks
The Chick’s Rating: 4/10 Clucks

The B.East on Urbanspoon